Tag Archives: apples

Holiday gatherings are always hectic, but Rosh Hashanah seems especially so. It’s easy to get stressed out with preparations, the start of the school year and the marathon of holidays that continue popping up for the rest of the month.

To prevent what my mother calls “the crazies,” she serves this festive cocktail as family and friends arrive for our holiday meal. Nontraditional? Yes. Effective? YES. This Jew Year’s Eve Punch is one of her favorite tricks to ensure a smooth and joyful beginning to the New Year.

Perfect for the High Holiday celebrations from Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot this delicious punch incorporates the sweet flavors of apple and honey into an easy-to-make and easy-to-love drink. You can make this with or without alcohol (we often mix two versions to make sure our guests have a non-alcoholic option) and it is always a hit. Serve your Jew Year’s Eve Punch in a large punch bowl or in individual glasses, garnished with a thinly sliced apple round and honey “swizzle stick” like these.

I love noodle kugel, especially my husband’s salt and pepper noodle kugel, which is always a hit at any Shabbat or holiday meal we serve it. But I really wanted to create a sweetened version of noodle kugel for Rosh Hashanah this year using some fresh, local apples.

I tried this recipe several ways until I found the right balance of apples, sugar, eggs and crumb topping. The result is a kugel that is sweet, but not too sweet, moist but still has a rich, crunchy crumb topping.

It brings together the goodness of a fall apple crumble, with the tradition of a noodle kugel. Oh yeah, and I decided it should get baked in a springform pan so that it looks like a “cake” which is just so much fun. Don’t worry – you can still serve it as a side dish.

If you decide to bake yours in a springform pan, make sure the bottom is locked in place tightly before pouring the unbaked kugel mixture into the pan. If it isn’t, you could end up with a liquidy mess all over your kitchen. I mean, I am not saying that happened to me (it did), but just making a recommendation.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan or pyrex dish for baking. If using a springform pan, cover bottom in foil and place on a flat baking sheet to avoid spills.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook noodles around 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, salt and brown sugar. Add sliced apples and mix gently until coated completely.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the margarine or butter and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut into the dry mixture until even, coarse crumbs form.

When noodles have been drained, add to egg mixture and mix gently until coated completely. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly on top of noodles.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until noodles have set and crumb topping starts to brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

Another week, and it’s time for another round of recipe ideas for Shabbat.

As my dear friend and fellow tweeter Aimee Weiss points out, ’tis the season for some spiked apple cider! Why not start out your meal with some hot cider with rum, honey and your favorite spices. You can also make a German favorite called Gluhwein (pronounced gloo-vine), which is a hot mulled wine with oranges, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. I can’t get enough of this stuff!